"Nokia is moving from being a pure handset manufacturer to being a service provider. Nokia simply wants to deliver a more integrated experience and make sure consumers are ready to pay a premium for their devices.
As such they are increasingly going to compete with operators... Nokia will thus increasingly use the online as well as alternative channels to sell not only devices but also digital goods. The likely decrease of handset subsidies, raise of new payments methods and non-cellular networks (WIFI, DVB-H,...) will be of great help, even though it will take some time before Nokia manages to move away from the subsidy model...
There used to be some doubts about this strategy following the Club Nokia initiative a few years ago. The launch of OVI, an umbrella brand for Nokia's new Internet services, is a clear signal to the market. Nokia has many assets to be successful in this strategic shift, but it will be an internal cultural change. Not the first one for a company who just started to sell mobile phones 20 years ago."
